Mac Inside & Out · macOS Basics for Switchers · Lesson 4 of 5

Installing and Removing Apps on a Mac

Get apps from the App Store or a .dmg, and remove them cleanly.

Getting apps onto a Mac

There are two common ways to install an app on a Mac. To install means to add an app so it is ready to use.

The first is the App Store, Apple's own app shop. Open it from the Dock or with Spotlight. Find an app, click Get or the price, and sign in with your Apple Account if asked. The app goes straight into your Applications folder. Apple checks apps before they appear in the store, so it is the simplest and safest place to start.

The second is downloading from the maker's own website. Many well known apps, like web browsers and video call apps, come this way.

Mac downloads often arrive as a .dmg file, a disk image. A disk image is a file that acts like a little pretend drive. Here is how to use one:

1. Double-click the .dmg file in your Downloads folder. A small window opens, often showing the app icon and an arrow.
2. Drag the app icon onto the Applications folder in that window.
3. Open the app from Applications or with Spotlight.
4. Eject the disk image. Click the eject symbol next to it in the Finder sidebar.
5. You can now move the .dmg file to the Trash. You no longer need it.

A common mistake is to run the app straight from the open disk image. It may work, but it stops working once the image is ejected. Always drag it into Applications first.

Some downloads come as a .pkg file instead, a package. Double-click it and an installer walks you through some steps, much like a Windows setup program.

On Windows, most downloads arrive as a setup file you run. On a Mac, many apps just need to be dragged into place.

Removing apps and first-time warnings

Removing an app on a Mac is often just dragging it to the Trash.

1. Open Finder and click Applications in the sidebar.
2. Drag the app to the Trash in the Dock. Or select it and press Command+Delete.
3. Type your Mac's password if asked.
4. Empty the Trash when you are sure. Control-click the Trash and choose Empty Trash.

This works for App Store apps too. Some bigger apps come with their own uninstaller. An uninstaller is a small tool that removes an app and its extra parts. If the app has one, use it. On Windows, you remove apps from Settings, under Apps.

Removing the app does not cancel any subscription you pay for. Cancel that separately.

The first time you open an app you downloaded from the internet, your Mac asks if you are sure. This is normal. It is part of a protection called Gatekeeper, which checks that the app comes from a known developer and has been scanned by Apple for known malware, harmful software. If you meant to download it, click Open.

Sometimes the Mac goes further and refuses to open the app. It may say Apple could not check it. Stop and think before you get around this. You can allow it in System Settings, under Privacy & Security, with Open Anyway. Only do that for an app you trust from a source you trust.

This is a bit like the warning Windows shows before running an unknown download. The Mac Security course goes deeper into how this works.

Like the admin prompts you met on Windows, your password is the key. Never type it for an app you didn't mean to install.